Tupi-Guarani (Great Waters)

I recently decided to take some time out from my busy city ¨living¨ in Buenos Aires and head north to visit the much talked about Parque Nacional Iguazu. All natural beauty with a habitat of many rare and endangered species, this national park was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site sometime back in the early 80´s. And no wonder! It´s a magical place with the falls being nothing short of spectacular.

I must admit, before the visit I had been a tad skeptical as to how wonderful these falls were actually going to be? I was dreading another 16 hour bus ride just to get there, in addition to the insane heat and humidity that lay ahead (think 42degrees and 90% humidity!) All I could think was, ¨these falls better be worth it¨ as the memory of Niagra Falls was suddenly fresh in my mind...

While living in Canada a few years ago, I was continuously told by locals and tourists alike that I MUST visit Niagra Falls. Everyone raved about how amazing, how huge, how lovely, what a must see they were! Much like the Iguazu talk all over Argentina. But my expectations and grand visions of the famous Niagra Falls were crushed once discovering the incredibly tacky town and the not so impressive falls? Well not in my eyes anyway. A bit of a disappointment for me in the end after all the hype. Thankfully Iguazu was a different story.

The Garganta del Diablo (Devil´s Throat) is the most popular and spectacular of the falls. 150m wide and 700m long, the shear volume of water and power of the falls is enough to take your breath away. It was definately another nature nerd moment for me :) The only frustration visiting the most popular waterfall, particularly this time of year, are the never ending hoards of tourists. Given it is still the Argentine summer holiday´s, the family vacation is in full force! And they ALL want that ¨special¨ kodak moment with Devils Throat as the back drop. Some tempers were flaring when the many other tourists were getting in the way of the family photo or taking up all the space at the front of the viewing point? Honestly? This ¨vacation rage¨ was a little out of control!

Still...a day in this stunning location was worth it. And you can escape many of those nasty families once you start venturing about and visiting the many other parts of the park. There really is so much to explore and so much to do. Just to stroll about and appreciate the actual size of the national park while discovering the many spectacular and pretty falls. The lovely walks, tropical surroundings, bright & colourful birdlife and even the odd crocodile or two! You soon forget the stifling heat and annoying families and just enjoy the moment.

Nature Nerd

Me. A nature nerd? Who would have thought? Nature nerd is what I was named by Tom, an American guy i met in Patagonia. He is a back-country trekking guide back in the US and thought my enthusiasm for the outdoors and willingness to give anything a go was quite the buzz...what can I say? I can only take it as a compliment as I´ve certainly been called worse in my time!!!

Before arriving in the fabulous city of Buenos Aires, I had spent three fantastic nature nerd kind of weeks in Patagonia. After my great stay in Bariloche, it was time to get moving and bus it down to the end of the world. Ushuaia that is...the southernmost city in the world and a wonderful place to spend a few days or more. I celebrated chrissy in this special town and finally got off my arse again for some much needed physical activity. All those Bariloche postres, chocolates and wines had started to take their toll! Hiking, biking and a day of canoing thrown in was just what I needed. And what an absolutely beautiful spot to do so. All crystal clear lakes, mountains lightly dusted with snow, a great national park to explore and all that fresh air! The days were cool, but bright and sunny which is incredibly lucky for these parts where the weather can be foul, even during the summer months. I felt relaxed and adrenalised all at once, life being all about the outdoors once again.

After spending a week in Ushuaia, it was off to El Calafate where the Perito Moreno Glacier is the visitors highlight. And there are alot of visitors! Now I have seen a few glaciers in my travels, but this one was definately one of the most spectacular. It´s one of the earths most active glaciers, is about 60m high, 6km´s wide and 18km´s long (from memory?). It has an amazing blue glow and huge chunks of ice occasionally collapsing with a thunderous roar into the lake below. It's quite the sight to see. We saw two massive chunks of ice break off while on a boat ride that ventured out about 300m from the glacier wall. While doing a hike we saw another huge chunk come crashing away, then another while viewing the glacier from the ever popular viewing platforms. I have heard some people say they visited the glacier and didn´t see any activity at all, so again I was pretty lucky. It was the craziest weather I have experienced to date though. When we set off for the glacier at 8am it was drizzling and cold. On the boat it was absolutely freezing with the rain coming down. Every inch of my body was completely numb, even with the multiple layers of thermals and clothing I had on! By the time we were hopping off the boat it was lightly snowing. At this point I was tempted to ditch the hike were were about to do, but something in me didn´t want to miss out on anything and it would be the only part of the day I wouldn´t have to battle a million other tourists for some wonderful views of the glacier. Wise decision, as about half way through the hike the sun was shining, a layer of clothing came off and the rest of the day was as if Spring had suddenly sprung. Crazy!!!

One of my favourite stops in Patagonia was El Chalten. A trekking and climbing town with a population of only 400. My first 3 days there I had already clocked up 60km´s worth of trekking, my knees begging me for a day of rest! But again I was so incredibly lucky with the weather, and with amazingly clear views of the famous Fitz Roy Range and Cerro Torre I didn´t want to waste a single day. The Cerro Torre had not been seen in 2months due to the crazy Patagonian weather, and given you never know when it may turn again, any opportunity to get out and about really can't be missed regardless of your screaming knees!

We were fortunate enough to meet Brian, a local glacier & trekking guide that we met at the hostel. He was fantastic and also made the stay that little more interesting and enjoyable. He was a wealth of information on the area and invited us on some rock climbing adventures. Free of charge. Just a bit of fun. If that´s what you can call rock climbing??? He also took a few of us girls to dinner on our last night. We went to his friends restaurant which was absolutely fabulous. It was a great way to spend our last night in the gorgeous little El Chalten. I really could have stayed there for weeks and found myself wanting to trek further and higher as each day passed. But the time does come when you really should move on to somewhere new. I have to say though, all the great trekking here, the people, the lakes, mountains, glaciers, flora & fauna made this stay one of my absolute favourites in Argentina. Maybe I really am a nature nerd after all?

More engagements, wedding´s and babies!!!

2007 is already turning out to be quite the year of celebrations.

After a long awaited email check and a bit of banter on messenger, it turns out there were some more surprises from home...

Glaucus has gone and gotten himself engaged! I do hope I am about for the celebrations in the next few months!

Pini is pregnant! Another first baby venturing into the world come July.

And the Rough´s....the lovely Pete and Linda are expanding their ever growing clan! With two little gorgeous girls already, there are yet another two on the way. Yes, it´s twins! Due sometime early April. Congratulations kids and GOOD LUCK!!!

Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is...

1. Enormous and grand
2. Crazy and manic
3. Hot and humid
4. Vibrant and alive
5. New York meets Paris

Argentina Adventure

Gone are the days of basic accommodation, cold showers, breaking down buses, dirt roads, crazy markets, indigenous communities and poor and dusty towns. Now it´s all wide, tree lined streets, modern homes, modern cars, luxurious bus services, trendy types sipping lattes in sidewalk cafes and suited up corporates wandering about! Definately much more Western European here in Argentina. I don´t even feel like I am in Sth America anymore? I actually miss those 3rd world conditions I have become accustomed to. But..."civilisation" is not so bad and certainly a nice way to spend the last leg of my trip on this wonderful and diverse continent.

My first stop in Argentina was the small city of Salta. A bit of a nothing city really, but I managed a couple of good nights out and my first taste of that famous Argentinian steak. I had travelled to Salta with 3 Dutch boys, an Israeli couple and a Sth African girl that I knew from Chile. A great bunch and with whom I had those big nights out. Drinking games anyone....uurrghhh!!! Dominique (the Sth African) & I did manage to squeeze in a couple of touristy sites between drinks and not alot of sleep though!

In the city itself, we jumped in a cable car that made it´s way a few hundred metres up for a panoramic view of the city. The view was not that spectacular but there was a great park up the top where you could wander about, have a coffee and basically chill out for a while. The highlight of Salta though (aside from those nights out) was a day trip we took to a place called Humahuaca, about 2 1/2 hours north of the city. We visited some great little towns and markets, but it was the scenery that made the day. As you travel north through the Las Conchas Ravine, you experience an array of colour from the surrounding countryside. You could be mistaken for thinking it was Autumn with all the vibrant browns, reds and oranges. As we went further north the mountains were very dramatic with unusual formations and a multitude of colours. Seven Colour Hill and the Paleta del Pintor Hill (painters palet) were stunning and my favourites of the trip.

From Salta I travelled south to Mendoza which is Argentina´s primary wine region. Mendoza is a small and beautiful city. The incredibly wide treelined streets, the amazing plaza´s and parks where there is always a market, live music or some form of entertainment happening late in to the night. It´s incredibly clean, there´s great international cuisine and of course the many vineyards. I visited 3 great wineries and indulged in the most civilised meal I have had since leaving home! There were about 10 of us that ventured out on our wine tasting day. After the 3rd winery we had our incredible lunch. Tapas style, 4 courses, European and Argentinian cuisine and a constant flow of delicious red wine, your glass never empty. Now this was a day where I didn´t mind being back in civilisation at all :)

From Mendoza it was down to the beautiful Bariloche. Bariloche is located at the northern tip of Patagonia and part of the Argentinian lakes district. Bariloche also looks like it has been plucked straight out of the Swiss Alps and dropped into the Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, Argentina! It´s incredibly pretty here, Swiss chalet style architecture, right on Lake Nahuel and surrounded by those snowcapped mountains I never tire of. Apart from the Swiss chalet style architecture it actually reminded me of parts of Alaska. It´s very touristy this time of year although mainly local tourists on their summer holiday. It´s also the place where school groups come to party after completing their final year of high school. Argentine schoolies week! Every second shop is a chocolate shop and probably the best chocolate your ever going to taste...that includes Belgium chocolate. Big call but true :) And of course the weather....what can I say. Bloody freezing! In Mendoza I was lazing about in the lovey dry heat where the temperatures averaged around 35 degrees celcius. A 19 hour bus trip south and it dropped to a cool 8 degrees, rain falling and wind howling. Crazy weather where you can experience 4 seasons in a day 3 times over. I loved it though. It was so nice to get all warm and cozied up by a fire and drink hot chocolate everyday. One day was so cold and wet, myself and a Canadian guy from the hostel decided to hit the local cinema and see the latest James Bond film. A small luxury when living life on a budget and out of a backpack! The film was one of only 2 movies playing at the tiny cinema, but it was a great movie for a cold and rainy day. Especially when it´s followed by a dinner of scrumptious Argentinian steak, a bottle of red, cheesecake and a delicious homemade hot chocolate before literally falling into bed, full as a goog and as content as can be.